Abstract
In this study, a long-term health risk assessment was conducted for complex, multimedia exposure where the exposure duration was set for the leak of a hazardous chemical spilled after an accident. The study designed a virtual chemical accident scenario where 40 tons of benzyl chloride leaked in a factory inside the Ulsan Petrochemical Industrial Complex for one hour on 1 January 2017. Using a multimedia environmental dynamics model, benzyl chloride concentrations in air and soil were estimated. The time when the atmospheric concentration was less than or equal to the background concentration was recorded as the end point. An assessment of the cancer risk via soil ingestion was carried out after dividing the subjects into four age groups (0–9 years; 10–18 years; 19–65 years; >65 years). All age groups showed an increased cancer risk where the values exceeded 1.0 × 10−6. The 0–9 years age group showed the largest distribution (4.27% of the total area) with the highest maximum and mean values. The distribution maps for all age groups exhibited a trend towards the southeast of the accident site.
Highlights
The hydrofluoric acid (HF) accident in Gumi (Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do) that occurred on September 2012 led to the implementation of the Chemical Substances Control Act of 1 January 2015, in Korea
According to the revised guidelines from the Statistical Investigation of Chemical Substances report by the Ministry of Environment for advanced data construction regarding the use of chemical substances, all businesses handling chemical substances are under investigation with regard to the type and amount of substances being handled as well as the control of drugs, devices and facilities that enable the response to and prevention of chemical accidents
The endpoint of the benzyl chloride concentrations that increased as a result of the chemical accident, which began at midnight on 1 January 2017, was determined by examining the time at which the concentration was less than or equal to the standard concentration
Summary
The hydrofluoric acid (HF) accident in Gumi (Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do) that occurred on September 2012 led to the implementation of the Chemical Substances Control Act of 1 January 2015, in Korea The aim of this act is to protect the public and the environment from the hazards caused by chemical substances with adequate control of such substances and ensuring rapid response to chemical accidents. According to the revised guidelines from the Statistical Investigation of Chemical Substances report by the Ministry of Environment for advanced data construction regarding the use of chemical substances, all businesses handling chemical substances are under investigation with regard to the type and amount of substances being handled as well as the control of drugs, devices and facilities that enable the response to and prevention of chemical accidents. Public Health 2020, 17, 3385; doi:10.3390/ijerph17103385 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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